Speeding drivers caught in blitz, South Australia

Police detected 865 drivers committing speeding offences during a four day blitz last week, with five drivers being arrested, one immediately losing their license and one vehicle being impounded.

Six offences related to motorists driving at a staggering 45 km/h or more over the speed limit.

From Thursday 10 to Sunday 13 September, Operation Safe Speed uncovered an alarming number of South Australian motorists who still choose to drive above the speed limit on our metropolitan and regional roads.

Superintendent Bob Gray, Officer in Charge Traffic Services Branch, says this blatant disregard for the safety of all road users is inexcusable.

“Speeding is a critical factor in every serious crash and was a contributing factor in 31% of fatal crashes in 2019,” Supt Gray said.

“Research shows that some drivers who exceed the speed limit do so because they aren’t paying attention. The other type of speeding driver is the one who deliberately exceeds the speed limit because they believe that they are more skilled or more important than other drivers on the road.*

No type of speeding is safe and every driver is responsible for paying attention to their speed and driving to the conditions of the road, at all times.”

Supt Gray said SAPOL’s Media Road Safety Unit is working on a new road safety campaign targeting the attitudes of speeding drivers, set to launch in a couple of weeks.

“We will never tolerate drivers who deliberately exceed speed limits for their own enjoyment but equally, even low level speeding due to inattentiveness increases the risk of being in a crash and the severity of injuries in that crash,” he warned.

*New Focus, Speeding Insights Research Feb 2020

/Public Release. View in full here.